Only On KCAL9: Southland Assemblyman Calls For Investigation Into LAUSD’s Purchase Of iPads

CHINO HILLS (CBSLA.com) — A Southland assemblyman is calling for an investigation into the LAUSD’s purchase of iPads for all students.

Curt Hagman (R-Chino Hills) wants to know if bond money was used to purchase the equipment.

Hagman told KCAL9’s Cristy Fajardo he is calling for hearings in Sacramento.

“The formal request has been made but no date has been set for the hearing,” he said.

“There is truth in advertising,” said Hagman, ” and for the bond acts, we want to make sure the money is being utilized for what they said the money would be utilized for.”

LA voters passed several measures to fix school infrastructure, to build new schools and to repair and modernize aging classrooms.

District officials have been quoted as saying buying the iPads was a legal use of the bond money. They also point out that a bond oversight committee also approved the plan.

Hagman believes a plan to build a wireless plan is lawful but has many questions about the $billion program.

“You don’t bond out to buy textbooks, so why would you bond out to buy tablets,” he said. “I’m really concerned from a fiscal standpoint that were using 30-year bond money for something we are going to to be good for 2-3 years.”

Superintendents Deasy’s plan to put a tablet in every student’s hands has been plagued with problems from the start — higher than first reported price tags, students hacking the tablets and even missing and stolen iPads.

The LAUSD isn’t in Hagman’s district but he says the hearings are of statewide importance.

“Maybe everything is legal,” Hagman says, “but if we aren’t seeing the right policy, we have to change the law.”

The district is now slowing the rollout of the iPads until the issues can be resolved. But the glitches in the rollout are drawing mounting scrutiny.

Fajardo called John Deasy’s office for a comment. The current LAUSD School Superintendent will reportedly resign in February, if not sooner.

There is no word on what his possible resignation would mean to the iPad program.